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Free Guitar Lessons for Beginners

Part 1

If you are looking for a easy and cheap way to get started with guitar, this series of 20 free guitar lessons for beginners should do the trick!

These video lessons cover all the basics, starting with fundamentals such as how to tune and hold the guitar, how to pick the strings, and read guitar tablature, all the way through learning some open chords, scales, and barre chords. After working through these you will have the foundational skills to play some songs. So start practicing now!

How to Tune a Guitar -
Proper tuning is absolutely critical. This lesson for beginning guitarists will teach you how to tune a guitar. In the video an electric guitar is shown, but the same principles apply to tuning an acoustic guitar. Shows how to use a guitar tuner as well as relative tuning.

Alternate Picking -
Alternate Picking is using an up and down stroke when you use a guitar pick to play the strings. Peter will show you a series of drills that will help you improve your picking technique. Being able to alternate pick allows you to play at a faster speed.

Sitting Position -
Playing guitar can often be a struggle between what is comfortable and using proper form. Peter will show you a casual position, a classical position using a foot stool, and a knee up position. The constant idea is to keep your body loose and relaxed while also maintaining control of the guitar.

Standing Position -
Most people learn guitar while playing in a sitting position. As a result, making the transition to playing while standing up can feel awkward. In this video Peter will give you some tips for using a guitar strap and playing in a standing position.

Starter Terms -
This lesson will teach you about terms that all guitarists should know like chords, scales, arpeggios, dynamics, and tempo. Learning and understanding this guitar vocabulary will help you progress as a guitarist. Knowing these terms will make it easier to understand lessons and will also help you converse with teachers or other guitar players.

Chromatic Scale -
A chromatic scale contains all of the notes in an octave. Peter will teach you how to play the scale and also offer some reminds on proper playing position. Practicing this scale will help your left hand work on stretching to play frets that are spread far apart. This exercise will also help your right hand picking technique.

Beginning Scales -
...More free guitar lessons for beginners...this one covers the first set of scales all guitar students should know, the open or first position scales. Learning how to play these scales smoothly will start you on your way to learning how to play some lead guitar.

Finger and Thumb Position -
We will discuss proper finger and thumb position with the left hand in regards to the neck of the guitar. By positioning your left hand correctly it will make it easier to play chords, stretch your fingers across several frets, and to increase your speed. We'll also discuss proper right hand technique for holding the pick and strumming.

Chord Stretch Exercise -
This lesson is designed to help improve your ability to play chords that require a long stretch. For this lesson we'll use the F major 7 chord which is a hard chord for many beginners to play. To compensate for the stretch many people will accidentally mute strings. Practicing the same chord shape further up the neck is much easier to play. Now try moving the chord shape down fret by fret and gradually allowing your fingers to stretch more and more.

Guides and Pivots -
Learning how to change chords is a challenge. This next one in the series of free guitar lessons for beginners covers the use of guide fingers and pivot fingers while changing chords. These are the two most important chord changing techniques you may ever learn.